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Should I watch the Olympics?

wiskey

wiskey

Albatross Admirer
So far I've successfully managed to boycott the Olympics (I haven't gone to china to watch them) . . . but should I carry that on to boycotting watching them on the telly too?

China does a lot of things that I feel uncomfortable about - but will me not watching the telly make any difference really?
 
i have a non-voluntary boycott. it appears that Indonesians dont much care for sport apart from Badminton, so they don't buy any rights to the olympics.
 
wiskey said:
China does a lot of things that I feel uncomfortable about - but will me not watching the telly make any difference really?
Click to expand...
This is the perennial problem of collective action - one person doing anything won't really make a difference to any mass movement. And if hundreds of thousands of people do turn their tellies off, what kind of a difference would that make? At most, it might make a few Chinese and IOC officials pretty uncomfortable, and it will make the IOC realise that they have human rights obligations and should think twice before awarding the Olympics to another dictatorship (though I think that message has already got through.)

But that's not to say you can't have personal reasons not to watch. I won't be watching because a) Chinese bullets and diplomacy kill my Burmese friends, and b) it makes a mockery of human rights "I know there are terrible things happening a few miles outside the stadium, but can't you just forget that for one minute and join in the fun? Don't politicise it etc." Bollocks.
 
I'm going to be watching. Not watching is going to make fuck-all difference. i'm still going to be very very interested in the outcome of a few particular events - so for me, does it matter whether I find out on the BBC news website or watch it on telly? No.

I feel sorry for the athletes who are in a no-win position in all this and the Chinese people who didn't choose their shitty government, but the people who should have taken the decision to exclude China from hosting the Olympics were cowardly and didn't.

At this stage of events, the money's been spent, the sponsorship accrued, the coffers of big business have filled up. The fact that some people might not watch it is of no consequence.
 
I do understand what you're saying . . . but I think the problem I have is that I would know I was watching it. I may not make a big dent in the tv ratings but, well I would know I wasnt doing what felt right.

Is that a bit over the top for a sporting event?
 
I was thinking about not watching it, not just because of the hosts but also because of the utter discreditment of sports such as athletics in terms of doping. Watch some Yanks cheat and only get found out years down the line.

But then I thought it would be pointless and I do really want to see the cycling, swimming, boxing and whatever else they put on and takes my fancy.

If it feels wrong for you though, don't bother.
 
I'm not watching the Olympics because I'm not interested in them. Not watching them because they're in China... well, fine, but I'd assume the 2012 ones will be off-limits as well.
 
wiskey said:
So far I've successfully managed to boycott the Olympics (I haven't gone to china to watch them) . . . but should I carry that on to boycotting watching them on the telly too?

China does a lot of things that I feel uncomfortable about - but will me not watching the telly make any difference really?
Click to expand...

If you've been a big boycotter, it'll be hypocritical to sit down with a bowl of popcorn now, and catch the Men's Butterfly finals, or the synchronized swimming.

It's like being anti death penalty, but tuning into the new Execution Channel, for some cheap thrills.
 
wiskey said:
I do understand what you're saying . . . but I think the problem I have is that I would know I was watching it. I may not make a big dent in the tv ratings but, well I would know I wasnt doing what felt right.

Is that a bit over the top for a sporting event?
Click to expand...


Not if it's how you feel, no. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, don't do it. Besides, the Olympics has been much more than just a 'sporting event' for years, whether people like to admit it or not.
 
I'm with you Wiskey. I'm not watching it either. I thought about whether it would make a difference and came up with two conclusions.

1. Its *my* personal boycott, and although it may not make a difference, it makes a difference to me

2. People will ask me why I am not watching it, which allows debate and awareness.

Just my 2p
 
AverageJoe said:
I'm with you Wiskey. I'm not watching it either. I thought about whether it would make a difference and came up with two conclusions.

1. Its *my* personal boycott, and although it may not make a difference, it makes a difference to me

2. People will ask me why I am not watching it, which allows debate and awareness.

Just my 2p
Click to expand...

I'd imagine a simple letter of complaint to the Chinese embassy in London, whilst achieving bugger all, will achieve a bit more bugger all than not switching your telly on.
 
Fuck that, I like my sport too much. There's a time and a place for politics, the Olympics isn't one of them.
 
only on Urban could someone post a serious thread about boycotting watching something on tv.
I won't be watching them because generally I find them boring as fuck.
 
N_igma said:
Fuck that, I like my sport too much. There's a time and a place for politics, the Olympics isn't one of them.
Click to expand...

Worthy sentiment, but a trifle naive.

olympiceagle.jpg



Major Sponsors of Bejing Olympics:

Worldwide Olympic Partners:
Coca-Cola
General Electric
List of assets GE owns or co-owns:
- NBC
- MSNBC
- A&E TV networks
- Bravo
- Telemundo
- Universal Studios
Kodak
Panasonic
McDonalds (also owns Chipolte and Boston Market)
Johnson-Johnson
Lenovo
Visa
Samsung

Beijing 2008 Partners:
Volkswagon (also owns Audi and Porsche)
Adidas
Johnson-Johnson

Sponsors:
UPS
Budweiser

Exclusive Suppliers:
Staples
Snickers (by Mars, Incorporated)
 
Dhimmi said:
Worthy sentiment, but a trifle naive.

olympiceagle.jpg



Major Sponsors of Bejing Olympics:

Worldwide Olympic Partners:
Coca-Cola
General Electric
List of assets GE owns or co-owns:
- NBC
- MSNBC
- A&E TV networks
- Bravo
- Telemundo
- Universal Studios
Kodak
Panasonic
McDonalds (also owns Chipolte and Boston Market)
Johnson-Johnson
Lenovo
Visa
Samsung

Beijing 2008 Partners:
Volkswagon (also owns Audi and Porsche)
Adidas
Johnson-Johnson

Sponsors:
UPS
Budweiser

Exclusive Suppliers:
Staples
Snickers (by Mars, Incorporated)
Click to expand...

All the companies that form part of your everyday life.
 
In that case I'll better stop watching the tele altogether, stop going onto most web pages, stop eating, stop drinking and stop wearing clothes. Fuck it I might as well go to the desert and live out my life as an cenobitic monk. :)
 
Dhimmi said:
Worthy sentiment, but a trifle naive.

olympiceagle.jpg



Major Sponsors of Bejing Olympics:

Worldwide Olympic Partners:
Coca-Cola
General Electric
List of assets GE owns or co-owns:
- NBC
- MSNBC
- A&E TV networks
- Bravo
- Telemundo
- Universal Studios
Kodak
Panasonic
McDonalds (also owns Chipolte and Boston Market)
Johnson-Johnson
Lenovo
Visa
Samsung

Beijing 2008 Partners:
Volkswagon (also owns Audi and Porsche)
Adidas
Johnson-Johnson

Sponsors:
UPS
Budweiser

Exclusive Suppliers:
Staples
Snickers (by Mars, Incorporated)
Click to expand...

But it also gave us this:

jesseowens.jpg
 
Actually only one thing on that list forms part of my everyday life.....I won't be watching the Olympics. This is mostly because I don't have a TV and I loathe sport.
 
Mrs Magpie said:
Actually only one thing on that list forms part of my everyday life.....I won't be watching the Olympics. This is mostly because I don't have a TV and I loathe sport.
Click to expand...

I suspect that GE forms part of your everyday life.

How can you not like the excitement of the 100 meters, or some of the swimming events?
 
If you don't want to watch it for political reasons, then don't, I just don't see why it's an issue needs raising.
 
Johnny Canuck2 said:
How can you not like the excitement of the 100 meters, or some of the swimming events?
Click to expand...
I quite like the odd horse race, but on the whole, I have no involvement, not even passively. I quite like school sports day, but because of the kids, not the sport to be honest. That's pretty much me and and my relationship with sport. I'm vaguely interested in a 'non-watching the activity' sort of way. I hope that the underdog wins when a small team plays a big well-financed team but I won't watch the match. I'm aware of names, events etc though. Sometimes I'll read background sports stuff in the newspaper, rarely match reports etc, but that's more about reading really. I'd read a cornflake packet if there was nothing else to read. Except I don't buy cereal, but anyway.
 
Mrs Magpie said:
I quite like the odd horse race, but on the whole, I have no involvement, not even passively. I quite like school sports day, but because of the kids, not the sport to be honest. That's pretty much me and and my relationship with sport. I'm vaguely interested in a 'non-watching the activity' sort of way. I hope that the underdog wins when a small team plays a big well-financed team but I won't watch the match. I'm aware of names, events etc though. Sometimes I'll read background sports stuff in the newspaper, rarely match reports etc, but that's more about reading really. I'd read a cornflake packet if there was nothing else to read. Except I don't buy cereal, but anyway.
Click to expand...

I never think of it as 'sport'. I see ten guys lined up, in great physical shape, and then the drama of them trying to outrun each other. I think it's hard not to relate to that, because it's something we've all done; maybe not at sports day, but in the alley, or running across the park with friends, etc.

Also, there is something satisfying about watching human physical excellence being brought into action.
 
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